Fire Season

What to Know About Oregon Wildfires Right Now

Where the fires are burning, how to track them, and how to stay safe.

07/25/2025 By Rebecca Jacobson

Paddle to the People

These Kayakers See Climate Justice as Community Work

With a kayak lending library and social paddles, Mosquito Fleet wants to shift how we relate to the Willamette.

06/17/2025 By Rebecca Jacobson

No Filter

When Did Oregon Summers Get So Smoky?

It’s not just you: wildfire season has fundamentally changed.

05/03/2024 By Zoe Sayler

DIY

Yes, Portlanders Are Growing Tiny Forests Next to Their Homes

Goodbye, plant beds and street view. Hello, woodlands.

03/06/2024 By Heather Arndt Anderson Illustrations by klaus kremmerz

SMOKE OUT

Wine Taste Like Cigars? New Coatings May Save Grapes from Smoke

Scientists sprang into action after wildfire smoke tainted many 2020 harvests.

02/07/2024 By Rebecca Jacobson

Saving the World

This Is Oregon Scientists' Plan to Save the World

The radical proposal of Oregon State University researchers aims to avoid climate change via greater biodiversity and more forestlands—and a no-growth economy.

01/20/2024 By Zoe Sayler

Blazes

The Wildfires We're Watching Closely, and Where to Avoid

Air quality has improved around Portland, but areas in Central Oregon and the Cascade Mountains are still on fire.

09/02/2023 By Sam Stites

First Person

Who Powers Portland’s Bike and Walk School Buses?

A cycling mom joins walk and bike buses helping kids get to school in neighborhoods rich and poor, where volunteers keep the wheels turning.

08/28/2023 By Ellee Thalheimer Photography by Thomas Teal

Environment

Who Killed Jordan Cove?

How an unlikely band of activists vanquished an energy megaproject in Southern Oregon.

05/31/2023 By Ramona DeNies

Disaster Prep

How to Prepare a Portland Home for Earthquakes and Wildfire Smoke

You’re living in a disaster-prone state. Are you ready for the next one?

04/07/2023 By Isabel Lemus Kristensen Illustrations by SanQian

Camping

Camping in the Era of Fire Bans

Here’s how to plan for camping trips without campfires.

04/04/2023 By Matt Wastradowski

State Parks

After Marking a Century, What’s Next for Oregon State Parks?

One of the nation’s best state parks systems is busy updating facilities, studying climate change, and becoming a more welcoming environment for all types of visitors.

03/09/2023 By Sam Stites

Wildfires

Wildfire Season in Oregon Has Been Low-Key...So Far

But with hot, dry weather ahead and fires burning around beloved Waldo Lake, that might not last.

08/17/2022 By Julia Silverman

Interview

Denial Presents a Compellingly Low-Key Vision of Post-Revolution Portland

Set in 2052, the latest novel from author/screenwriter Jon Raymond imagines a disillusioned future that looks a lot like the present, despite big policy victories.

07/22/2022 By Conner Reed

News You Can Use

5 Stories That Defined Oregon in 2021

Plus, a look at how they might play out in 2022

12/29/2021 By Julia Silverman

Light a Fire

4 Local Nonprofits Working on Environmental Issues

From salmon to stewardship to wildfire repair and more, these organizations are putting our planetary health front and center.

11/30/2021 By Cami Hughes and Gabriel Granillo

Nature

All Hail the King Tides: What to Know about the Coastal Phenomenon

Now in its 12th year, the Oregon King Tides Project uses crowd-sourced visual documentation to map tidal events and rising sea levels.

11/04/2021 By Gabriel Granillo

Q&A

Can Squid Teach Us How to Survive Climate Change?

Author and conservation biologist Thor Hanson talks to us about his new book Hurricane Lizards and Plastic Squid: The Fraught and Fascinating Biology of Climate Change.

09/28/2021 By Karly Quadros

Real Estate

First They Came for the AC. Now, It's About a Backyard Pool.

Historically, a pool was unexpected in Portland-area backyards. But given climate change and COVID, they are suddenly hot commodities.

08/18/2021 By Julia Silverman

Pen Pals

Dear Stranger Is Inviting Oregonians to Talk About Climate Change

(Or whatever else they want, really.)

08/18/2021 By Conner Reed